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There’s no telling how long it will be before it’s hard to find a copy of this disc. At the time of this writing, it’s still stocked at most retailers, but something tells me that once it’s gone, it’s gone. Expect to pay the retail MSRP of $39.99 unless you find a used disc. If you’re a Kirby fan, this is a price you can live with. If you tally up all the time you can spend between everything included it’s a bargain. If you haven’t had the chance to play the games since their original release, this is an outright steal. Despite my glowing praise for the set, I have to stress once again that this may be a case of it being for fans of the series only. If you have never played a Kirby game, you might want to begin with a newer portable title before you decide to dive headfirst into the classics.

For those looking for a deep and modern experience, you won’t find it with Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition, and heck, why would you expect that in the first place from a game that celebrates 20 years of one character. That being said, what you will find is a great walk down memory lane with games that everyone in the family can enjoy. Sure, the included games could have used a visual makeover, but the charm and attraction of the original games is intact, and many will overlook the simple visuals as the gameplay and nostalgia is what is important here. Add to this the music disc, collectible book, and the interactive museum on the game disc, and you have a pretty good anniversary compilation that is well worth the price of admission.

Kirby’s Dream Collection is a fine tribute to Kirby’s 20-year history. Anyone who missed a chunk of his old outings, or just has an urge to replay them all, should definitely pick up this package. If you own all the games on Virtual Console on Wii or 3DS, it is a little harder to recommend, but if you don’t, Kirby’s Dream Collection is totally worth playing to experience Kirby’s old games and get a taste of what he’s doing now.

There will inevitably be Kirby fans who will complain that more Kirby games weren't included or that none of the titles got any type of visual makeover, but it's difficult to complain too much given how many amazing Kirby titles have been collected onto one Wii disc, not to mention the fun bonus items and mini games that are also included. No doubt most Nintendo fans will have already played these games many times over, but it's still nice to see Nintendo giving their fluffy protagonist a little fanfare for 20 years of charming gaming magic.

Thanks to some timeless design, Kirby’s Dream Collection is packed with fun and should make a welcome addition to any game collection. Even so, it has limited value if you don’t care about the new challenge stages or the soundtrack disc. Nintendo had the opportunity here to release another incredible compilation that today’s generation could have remembered as fondly as older folks remember Super Mario All-Stars, but instead the company settled on something a bit less varied and comprehensive than the $40 price tag suggests you’ll find. It’s still very good and of course you should pick it up if you’re a huge Kirby fan, but gamers with limited budgets are perhaps better off doing some Virtual Console shopping instead.